It's A Small Small World
by driver picks the music
Summary: While waiting at the bar, Bass sees a young woman in need of his help. When he pretends to be her missing date will she play along or get them both kicked out? -Charloe A/U No Blackout-
1. Chapter 1

**So I got a prompt idea from Tumblr and this one shot happened...Hope you like it :)**

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Bass Monroe sat at the bar sipping his drink. He was a little early for dinner where he was to meet some of the guys he and Miles had served with, so he decided to grab a drink. He turned on his stool and glanced around the room, noting a few couples as well as a couple of small dinner parties like he would be a part of as soon as the others arrived.

What caught his eye enough for a double take was the young woman at the table not far from the bar. She was younger, probably mid to late twenties. Honey blond hair that fell in waves down her back and around her face. And bright blue eyes that were looking at at the waiter she was talking to, as she asked for just another five minutes.

"Please, sir, I know it's inconvenient, but I know he's gonna be here, just five more minutes. If he doesn't show up by then I'll give up my table. I promise."

Bass took another sip as he watched the waiter waver before shaking his head. "I'm sorry miss, but I can't. You've already been waiting for a half an hour, if I let you stay I could get into trouble."

The young woman looked crestfallen. "What if I told you it was my birthday?" she asked.

The waiter glanced at a stern looking man in a dark suit talking to the hostess that had to be the manager, then back to the young woman seated before him. "Is it really?" he asked, hesitation clear in his voice.

When she nodded and glanced down to where her hands rested on the table, Bass made up his mind and sat his drink down on the bar and stood up; adjusting his suit jacket; and headed towards her table.

"Hey honey, I'm so sorry I got held up." Bass said as he smoothly sat down in the empty chair across from her. "I hope I didn't ruin your birthday." he said with a sheepish smile.

…...

Charlie Matheson was furious. She couldn't believe he had done this to her. Again. On her birthday of all days.

Really she only had herself to blame for this. She knew better than to trust that Jason Neville would ever actually grow up and stop cowering to his daddy. But she had thought he meant it this time when he begged her for another chance, and things had been going so well for the last couple of weeks. So when he asked her to dinner for her birthday, she didn't hesitate to say yes.

Now as she sat here and tried to talk this very nice waiter into letting her have the table for another five minutes; as if that was really going to make a difference; she really just felt like laying her head down and crying at her own naivety.

"Hey honey, I'm so sorry I got held up."

Charlie glanced at the handsome man she had seen at the bar a few minutes earlier as he sat down across from her. "I hope I didn't ruin your birthday." he said, causing her to furrow her brow in confusion. What was happening?

The man turned towards the waiter. "I'm so sorry for the trouble, I know you guys have a policy with holding tables, so thank you so much for letting her stay, I would have hated myself if I had disappointed her." he said with a charming smile for the waiter before turning to wink at Charlie.

Charlie had finally caught on to what the man was doing and smiled sweetly at him. "Don't worry sweetheart, I knew you would get here. I was just telling this nice gentlemen that you must have just been running late." she said.

The waiter looked relived and smiled as he looked back and forth between the two. "Wonderful." he said and placed the menus he had been holding on the table in front of them.

After taking their drink order, the waiter left them to decide what they wanted to eat. After making sure he was out of earshot, Charlie looked at the man across from her and smiled. "Thank you for that save, but can I ask you something?"

The man smiled and held his hand out over the table to her. "My name is Sebastian Monroe, or Bass if fine."

Charlie took his hand and pumped it once and smiled. "Charlotte." she shrugged as she dropped his hand. "Charlie." She said, giving him her nickname because something just felt familiar about him.

Bass leaned back in his chair. "Is it really your birthday?" he asked,

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, and my soon to be ex-boyfriend stood me up." she shook her head. "Classy guy right? I really know how to pick 'em."

Bass shrugged. "Yeah well, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't." he smiled. "And this time it worked out for the best."

Charlie frowned. "How do you mean? He stood me up. On my birthday."

Bass grinned. "Exactly, and if he hadn't we wouldn't have met and you would have spent your birthday with him and he would have just flaked on you some other day and you would forever have the memory of your birthday with some jerk." he shrugged again, smile still in place. "This way you will forever have a fun story to tell about that birthday when some random guy saved you from being kicked out of a pretty decent restaurant." He nodded and scrunched his nose. "I kind of saved you from a lot of embarrassment."

Charlie chuckled. "Well thank you very much, I really appreciate it." she said with a smile before it morphed into a frown. "I'm not keeping you from something, or someone am I?" she asked, finding herself hoping he wasn't here to meet another woman.

Bass shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'm meeting some friends here," he said and she smiled, relieved. "but they haven't shown up yet." he said as he glanced at the door. "Actually I take that back, one of them has just walked in.

He lifted his hand, signaling his friend over. "Charlotte, I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine."

"Charlie?"

"Uncle Miles?"

Bass looked back and forth between the two. "Uncle Miles?" he questioned before turning to Charlie. "Charlie?"

Miles frowned. "Bass?"

Charlie turned to Bass, her eyes widening in recognized shock. "Bass?" No wonder the name sounded familiar.

"Wait." Bass said as he thought of Miles' little blond haired blue eyed niece that he hadn't seen since she was a little girl.

Charlie smiled uncertainly and chuckled nervously. "I guess it's a small world huh?"

Miles looked between the two again and furrowed his brow. "What are you doing here kid?" he asked Charlie.

Charlie glanced at Bass and raised her brows. "I'm on a date?" she said as if it were a question.

"Then what are you doing over here?" Miles asked Bass.

Bass cleared his throat and shrugged a shoulder. "I think I'm on a date too." he said and smiled along with Charlie before he turned back to Miles. "I don't think I'll be making it to dinner tonight buddy. No offense but I got a better offer."

Charlie smiled wider and leaned forward, ignoring Miles and his confusion. "Do you want to get out of here? Maybe go get some ice cream or something?" she asked Bass.

He nodded and stood up and clapped a hand onto Miles shoulder. "See you later, tell the others I'll see them next time." he said before holding out a hand for Charlie to take.

They walked away, not stopping even when they hear Miles say, "Wait, what's going on?"

The waiter walked over with the drinks they had ordered and smiled after them before turning to Miles. "I'm glad he finally showed up, she seemed really happy to see him."

Miles glanced at him and frowned. "Who the hell are you?" he asked. The waiter held up the tray with their forgotten drinks and smiled.

"Their waiter." he said.

Miles grunted and reached over and grabbed the glass of scotch that was sitting on the tray and gulped some back. "Nothing that just happened makes any sense." he said. "But as long as she has a nice birthday, I guess I can wait until tomorrow to kill him."

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 **Thanks for reading.**

 **And remember...**

 **Reviews make you AWESOME!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews and follows and favorites/kudos. You guys are the best :)**

 **This is a very short follow up, also inspired by a prompt I found on Tumblr.**

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It's been three months since that night when he pretended to be her missing date. Three months since he met the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

You might say that three months wasn't very long, not enough time to know something as important as that, but sometimes when you love someone, you just know.

Miles hadn't been thrilled but he was supportive of their relationship. Even going as far as to back them up when they broke the news to her father and step-mother. The ten year age gap between her father and Maggie helped to ease them into the idea of their daughter and Bass, as did the fifteen year difference between Miles and his long time girlfriend Nora.

It was great to have the support of her family, but they both knew; from the very first night; that it didn't really matter. They were going to be together no matter what others thought about it. And they were. They spent most of their free time together, and Bass stayed over at her place most nights.

And some night, like tonight, when he couldn't sleep Bass would lay beside her and listen to her soft breathing and wonder how he had gotten so lucky.

Right now he was laying on his side, looking at Charlie as she laid stretched out beside him on her stomach. Her hair fanned out along her shoulders and her pillow. One arm tucked up under her pillow and the other hanging off the side of the bed.

He smiled softly as he reached over and lightly ran his fingertips over the freckles on her exposed back. He scooted closer, adjusting his head on his own pillow, and began to use his fingertip to gently trace the words that he's been dying to say, but worried she wasn't ready to hear.

 _I love you_

Again and again he traced the eight letters across her skin, only stopping when she shifted as he hit a point on her lower back that he knows is particularly ticklish.

He reached up and sifted his finger through her hair where it lay on her pillow before pulling the blanket higher, covering more of himself as well as Charlies naked back, before settling in to sleep.

He rolled onto his back and tucked his hand behind his head and closed his eyes. He was just starting to drift to sleep when he felt the bed shift as Charlie rolled over and wrapped her arm around him before settling her head on his shoulder, he face tilted up towards his.

"I love you too." she said before reaching up and kissing the spot behind his ear that he liked.

Keeping his eyes closed, Bass smiled as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer, and then ; together and happy; they drifted off to sleep.

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 **Thanks for reading!**

 **And remember...**

 **Reviews make you AWESOME!**


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